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Drought tolerant gardens
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Posted by greathawks SE Qld (My Page) on Sun, Sep 4, 05 at 18:23
| Why is it that whenever we see anything on gardening TV shows or garden magazines that all drought tolerant gardens are either full of cacti and succulents or plants that look half dead? Surely we could do better than this.
There should be more emphasis on promoting drought tolerant gardens than most of the material shown on TV and in the magazines. Drought tolerant gardening only gets little recognition.
GH |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Drought tolerant gardens
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Generally the best way to approach planting to suit your climate is to select plants that grow in a similar climate to your own. If you like Aussie natives fine - go with ones that are native to your own area or similar places in Aus.
There are lots of plants from the middle east, South Africa, the Americas, southern Europe and Asia that have grown for thousands of years in climates similar to our own. Good texts such as the Roger Phillips & Martyn Rix series, or the pocket botanica books, are readily available in bookstores and libraries, and give ample cultural notes. When you plan out a garden it is a good idea to sit down with paper and pen and make a list of what you like out of what will grow in your conditions. It is time well spent.
Another great text is one written by Kevin Walsh "Water saving gardening in Australia" with lists of moderately and very drought tolerent plants. Not too many cactuses in his lists :-) BTW - I think iceberg roses, lavender, gaura and mondo grass are fairly drought tolerent (tongue in cheek) |
RE: Drought tolerant gardens
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| Watering technique is so important and I get cranky when I hear of Councils that train gardeners to water often and lightly. Good soil structure may be on an equal footing even if a long term project. |
RE: Drought tolerant gardens
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| g'day greathawks, yes growing inndemic natives for your general landscape is the way to go, but what about fruit trees and vege gardens and also for native plant gardens. my answer mulch, mulch & more mulch, i lay it 10 to 20"s deep benerally 10 in the vege gardens but around food trees and antive trees anywhere deeper will work. we eat oodles of fruit from trees that only get rain water adn no feeding only what comes from the green grass/hay type mulches we use. and when the mulch gets down to around 6"s or so deep pile more on. too easy. len with a new web addy mail len lens garden page |
RE: Drought tolerant gardens
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- Posted by pos02 NSW Aust (My Page) on
Sun, Sep 4, 05 at 21:53
| Generally, I have found if you plant the right tubestock in the right garden location (microclimate), and water them regularly during the first summer, they should grow quite well. The trick is to avoid plants which will not naturally grow in a similar situation in the wild. Some plants will inevitably die, but you will learn from that, and try them somewhere else. The other thing is not to plant out too many new plants at once. It is almost impossible to look after 20 or so new plants through a hot summer. |
RE: Drought tolerant gardens
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| "Why is it that whenever we see anything on gardening TV shows or garden magazines that all drought tolerant gardens are either full of cacti and succulents or plants that look half dead?" I think a lot of the tv shows like to promote the latest *fashion* in plants, and theyre designed by garden designers who want to be cutting edge so a lot of the tried and true plants are probably considered a bit common. I see lots of new gardens in my area and they look a lot like those tv show gardens, very modern looking and lots of straight lines and strategically placed plants. 12 months on you see the mulch has broken down and the beds are back to sand and people out there watering because they just dont seem to realise that they need to put some more mulch or compost down. |
RE: Drought tolerant gardens
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| Thanks for all your comments. GH |
RE: Drought tolerant gardens
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You're not wrong about the "tried and true" plants! I have been looking for the common spiraea (may) that I used to grow in a previous garden. I got a sizeable one today at Spring Park roses, for nothing. "We can't sell these, no one wants them any more" I was told. I have looked everywhere else to no avail!
They are a fantastic background plant. I read somewhere recently a comment by a landscaper "If in doubt plant a spiraea" and they are tough as boots, don't sucker, hold their pretty soft green leaves most of the year, look lovely in bloom, and don't need much water. I will be taking cuttings from mine. |
RE: Drought tolerant gardens
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| Natives, natives and more natives (but not of the wet rain forest type) - plants which are suitable to our climate (of which other posters have already indicated, are many and varied). And more intelligent gardening - like the other posters have also said - such as mulching, not planting too much in the heat of summer etc. Oh, if we could only take over those darned tv shows and gardening mags, what a difference we could make !! |
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